We have three important principles;
Who we are
- Local people who want to make our communities great for people with dementia and carers to live, visit and work in
- We come together as a loose, community led collaborative of local residents, carers, volunteers and paid workers with common cause
- Rooted in and led by communities across East Lothian, diverse and different
Our Vision
- Are active respected and valued citizens, living the lives they choose for as long as possible wherever they live
- Have a quality life, with choices and influence over things that matter to them
- And strong social networks, friendships and connections
- Are able to see that life with dementia can be meaningful and valued
- Have things to do, places to go and friends to meet
- Are better supported and understood by service providers and decision makers
- Feel free from stigma and discrimination and are more able to seek help and advice and talk about dementia
- Have greater voice and visibility
We work to help everyone
- Have a deeper understanding of what life with dementia is like in the communities we live in
- Know what they personally can do that will make a difference
- Feel supported and empowered to act
- Find greater meaning and value in their lives too
- Come together across different ages and issues to make life better for everyone
- Have fun together
- We do a lot by community events, having fun together, awareness raising and training. The best way to learn about dementia is to spend time getting to know people with dementia.
Our values and core principles are simple:
- Having dementia doesn’t take away the right to be an active citizen with rights and choices
- Having dementia doesn’t mean the end of dreams, aspirations and hopes for the future
- Dementia is about everyone of all ages, not just older people
- Dementia Friendly is also human friendly, everyone benefits
- A smile, understanding and mutual respect go a long way to undermine the stigma that dementia can carry
- People make things happen, often despite everything!
- Our communities are better for everyone when there is friendship and generosity of the human spirit to care for others
- Every place and every person is different, we value and respect diversity
- We get further and farther by working together with others who share our aspirations
- We all have an important role in helping support older people in our communities and we have great ideas about how we can do more
- We want to find better ways of helping people with dementia